Preserving Hispanic Lifeways in New Mexico

Abstract

IN MARCH OF 1598, settlers from New Spain crossed the Rio Grande near present-day El Paso, Texas, held a thanksgiving mass and feast, and continued north to establish one of the first European colonies in North America. Led by don Juan de Onate, these four hundred settlers included soldiers, priests, miners, and farmers, and were of Spanish, Mexican, Native American, and even Moorish heritage. For the next four centuries, the descendants of these and subsequent waves of settlers have created a unique culture and society in an isolated region of North America. Part heirloom tradition, part contemporary creation, the culture of twenty-first-century New Mexico evolved from a rich combination of many peoples. In presentday New Mexico, those of Spanish descent continue to play a major role in the creation of culture. A variety of institutions, communities, and individuals in New Mexico collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit the four hundred years of Latino heritage—a heritage that has been a contested ground for generations. The first contested issue that we need to untangle is what to call New Mexicans of Spanish descent. New Mexicans of Spanish descent are a